THE LIVING ONE

Caravan to Cairns

Two young men, a road trip across the Australian Outback, strange encounters in isolated settlements… and a book that will change one of them forever.

From the harsh heat of the dusty road to the cool of the Temple, two stories… one immediate, one timeless… intertwine to illuminate each other.

Many scholars believe that the Gospel of Thomas preserves a glimpse into the oral tradition of the Essenes. The book is a collection of sayings, parables and dialogues attributed to Jesus. In this unique interpretation author and essayist, Stuart France brings the oral tradition to life, retelling the Gospel in his own words, in the way it may have been told around the hearth-fires of our fore-fathers.

Accompanied by in-depth comments which draw upon the Mystery School Tradition, The Living One provides a new window on an age-old story.

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11 thoughts on “Sapphire and Topaz…”

In a Biblical accounting of Cain and Abel, I did a lot of reading and rereading because it is a puzzling account that I think a lot of folks overlook. In those times, the eldest was given the major legacy or gift from the patriarch. In this case, however, Cain was the first born, but he got the lesser legacy, apparently of land and crops, while Abel received livestock, which would have acquired a lot more land to allow the cows and bulls and other livestock to switch grazing lands, and the livestock would have been worth more. For me, it was understandable that Cain was angry at being given the lesser legacy from his father, and not having as much to give as an offering to God. We don’t know why the father did this deed, but apparently there is s similarity in theme to the story you have relayed here. And it is interesting that HE was the one who was held responsible, first because he was angry that his sacrifice was less than that of his brother, and we have to wonder why God would overlook the fact that the father created this situation.

This is, however, a world of duality in everything, and many things happen that we can make neither rhyme or rhythm for their reasoning. The issue of jealousy over who possesses the most worthy legacy or property is age-old, probably from the earliest human beings fighting over the best cut of meat from a kill, etc. I suspect it repeats itself throughout the centuries and eons of time, in different cultures in different countries. Thank you very kindly for sharing with us.

Interestingly too, sapphire is worth more than topaz. So what does this say about value? Something that can change with the wind, or the mood of a person. And perhaps it is not the gem that is what brings the two together . . .

Thank you so kindly. I attended a Christian university online for my last degree in 2016 when I was 74 (whoo hooo!) And this after having cancer the same year. So because I was studying things in the Bible, I began to reconsider some of the interpretations as they are taught once again, and one of the ones I questioned was the story of Cain and Abel. Perhaps it relates to the story of “the original sin,” for I remember in literature that the Fathers always passed down the best things to the first-born male in the family, but in this case, it was the opposite. And then when God shows mercy to Cain though he understands that Cain has killed his brother, there is also more going on there. If the original sin was having a choice in everything we do, whether it relates to what we are eating to what things we choose to do in this life, then God understands that the Father of Cain made a bad judgement too, so he punishes him in a way that is not outright death, but in a way that man can understand in his mind and soul when he has done something wrong, but he still have a choice to change his life and the thinking that caused him to do something wrong, even as he gave that choice to Adam.

So in Gilgamesh, the Gods themselves were also imperfect in their choices and intentions for their actions. What does this imply about Gods and mankind? Are we too not within the Gods or the One? How are we different, and in what ways are we alike?

I thought of something interesting I studied a long, long time ago when I was studying different philosophers via Nathaniel Brandon, a follower of Ayn Rand. He was talking about certain earth metals like Gold, and saying that they have an intrinsic value. This is one of these language issues where people talk about something that is highly abstract or something like what you wrote about with depth (it was either Stuart or Steve I think). Anyway, how can something have an intrinsic value unless someone designates it as that??? So there are many concepts, and abstract may be the wrong word, but it is the best one I can remember at the moment.

Now it is not to say that things or situations, etc. have no value unless we recognize them as such, for they likely do. Perhaps there must be a better word to describe it because just as I believe that everything on this earth and in this universe is sacred, does not mean that mankind must first recognize it as such. Does that make any sense? So perhaps it is our minds that at some point can recognize the sacred aspect, or the intrinsic value of something in this world. This is that old question about if I cannot hear all the trees in the forest moving in the wind, does that mean they are not moving? It is amazing to me all the things that are running through my mind now. I am questioning a lot of things I have believed if you will in the past.

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Unless otherwise attributed, all images and text are the work of Stuart France and Sue Vincent. Please respect the copyright of all original material and images on this site. You are welcome to use excerpts, reblogs and links as long as clear, named credit and appropriate links back to this site are used. Written permission is required for all other reproduction. Thank you.